Southwest Airways Boeing 737 misplaced engine cowl throughout takeoff, FAA investigating

An engine cowling fell off of a Southwest Airways Boeing 737-800 and struck a wing flap throughout takeoff from Denver Worldwide Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration mentioned Sunday.

The FAA mentioned Southwest Flight 3695 was on its option to Houston’s William P. Interest Airport and safely returned to the gate at Denver at 8:15 a.m. native time. Southwest mentioned clients on the flight transferred to a unique plane and had been scheduled to reach at their vacation spot three hours late.

“Our Upkeep groups are reviewing the plane,” Southwest mentioned. The FAA mentioned it’s investigating the incident. Southwest did not instantly reply when requested when the aircraft and engine final underwent upkeep.

In response to a request for remark, Boeing pointed to Southwest’s assertion.

The cowling loss comes because the FAA investigates a separate Southwest incident in March. Certainly one of its flights strayed off target and flew near the air site visitors management tower at LaGuardia Airport because it tried a touchdown in New York.

The aircraft is an older mannequin of the Boeing 737 than the Max jets. Boeing is beneath heightened regulatory scrutiny after a January incident when a door plug blew off a virtually new 737 Max 9 when the Alaska Airways flight was at 16,000 ft, inflicting a near-catastrophe.

Boeing’s high quality management points have spiraled into security considerations, slowing deliveries of latest Max plane. Large Boeing clients like Southwest and United say the problems have affected their development plans.

The long-awaited FAA certification of its 737 Max 7 and Max 10 fashions can also be behind earlier schedules. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun final month mentioned that he would step down by 12 months’s finish, and Boeing changed its chairman and chief government of its business airplane unit.